System and method for OS boot image provisioning based on user identity to enable mobile users

ABSTRACT

A method for provisioning a boot image includes receiving authentication information from an information handling system (IHS) over a network. The authentication information is associated with a user. The authentication information is sent to network services. Boot image information is received from the network services. The boot image information is associated with a boot image. The boot image is provisioned to the IHS over the network.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 11/961,079, filed on Dec. 20, 2007, and U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 11/961,299, filed on Dec. 20, 2007, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to provisioning boot images to information handling systems.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

Some IHSs are diskless (i.e., do not include mass storage devices). A diskless IHS may not include an operating system (OS), and thus the diskless IHS may be required to access a boot image over a network for booting and loading an OS. Conventionally, a diskless IHS may always boot using the same boot image. This may meet the requirements for servers in a data center, for example, which always boot from the same boot image.

However, client systems (e.g., desktops, laptops) in an enterprise may need to support multiple users, each of whom may have the need to access a boot image tailored to the user, rather than to the IHS. Currently, there is not a storage standard that supports this requirement. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved system and method to provision boot images.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a method for provisioning a boot image includes receiving authentication information from an information handling system (IHS) over a network. The authentication information is associated with a user. The authentication information is sent to network services. Boot image information is received from the network services. The boot image information is associated with a boot image. The boot image is provisioned to the IHS over the network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a illustrates an embodiment of a system for provisioning a boot image.

FIG. 1 b illustrates an embodiment of a boot client used in the system for provisioning a boot image of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 1 c illustrates an embodiment of a boot server used in the system for provisioning a boot image of FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 1 d illustrates an embodiment of network services used in the system for provisioning a boot image of FIG. 1 a.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b illustrate an embodiment of a method to provision a boot image using the system of FIG. 1 a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, a PDA, a consumer electronic device, a network server or storage device, a switch router or other network communication device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include memory, one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic. Additional components of the IHS may include one or more storage devices, one or more communications ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components. In an embodiment, the IHS may not include a mass storage device, and may receive one or more boot images over a network containing software for initializing, booting, and running an operating system on the IHS.

Referring now to FIG. 1 a, an embodiment of a system 100 for provisioning a boot image is depicted. The system 100 includes a network 102 such as, for example, a Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network (e.g., the Internet or an intranet). A boot client 104, a boot server 106, and network services 108 are operably coupled to the network 102 in order to allow communication between the boot client 104, the boot server 106, and the network services 108. The boot client 104 may be used by a user 110. Each of the boot client 104, the boot server 106, and the network services 108 may include one or more IHSs. For clarity, FIG. 1 a depicts only one boot client, one boot server, one instance of network services, and one user. However, it should be understood that the system 100 may include a plurality of boot clients, boot services, network services, and users.

Referring now to FIG. 1 b, the boot client 104 is illustrated in more detail. The boot client 104 includes a processor 120 for executing instructions. Input devices 122 are coupled to the processor 120 to provide input to the processor 120 from the user 110. Examples of input devices include keyboards, touchscreens, and pointing devices such as mouses, trackballs and trackpads. A display device 124 is coupled to the processor 120 to display information to the user 110. A memory device 126 is coupled to the processor to provide the processor with fast storage to facilitate the execution of instructions by the processor 120. A Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) device 128 is coupled to the processor to provide basic initialization and support instructions and data to the processor 120. The boot client 104 further includes a network interface 130 to allow the processor 120 to transmit data to and from the network 102. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may be a diskless device. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may include a desktop, laptop, server, or mobile device. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may access boot images over the network 102 via a storage area network (SAN) or network-attached storage (NAS). In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may be an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) initiator.

Referring now to FIG. 1 c, the boot server 106 is illustrated in more detail. The boot server 106 includes a processor 140, a memory device 142, and a network interface 144, each of which may function in a manner similar to the processor 120, the memory device 126, and the network interface 130, respectively, of the boot client 104. The boot server 106 further includes a mass storage device 146, which includes boot images 148, 150, and 152. Each of the boot images 148, 150, and 152 may include programs and data for booting and/or initializing one or more boot clients such as the boot client 104. Each of the boot images 148, 150, and 152 may further include programs and data for running an OS and/or applications on one or more boot clients such as the boot client 104. In alternative embodiments, the mass storage device 146 may include only one boot image or any plurality of boot images. In an embodiment, the boot server 106 may provide the boot images 148, 150, and 152 over the network 102, and may be included in a storage area network (SAN) or may provide network-attached storage (NAS). In an embodiment, the boot server 106 may be an iSCSI boot target.

Referring now to FIG. 1 d, the network services 108 are illustrated in more detail. The network services 108 include a directory server 160 and an Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) server 162. The directory server 160 may include a directory service such as, for example, Active Directory, and may include information about a plurality of devices and users of the network 102, including authorization information. The authorization information may include a variety of information relating to authorizations of users and devices of the network 102. In an embodiment, each of the servers 160 and 162 may include an IHS. In an alternative embodiment, the servers 160 and 162 may be included in a single IHS. In another alternative embodiment, the network services 108 may not include one or both of the servers 160 and 162. In an embodiment, the network services 108 may include a variety of other servers and/or network services such as, for example, a Domain Name Server (DNS), a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, a Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) server, and/or a Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, an embodiment of a method 200 to provision a boot image is illustrated. The method 200 begins at block 202 where the boot client 104 prompts the user 110 for a login name and a password. The boot client 104 may prompt the user by using the display device 124. In an embodiment, prompting the user 110 is initiated by the processor 120, which may be executing instructions from the BIOS device 128. The login name and the password may be associated with the user 110. In an alternative embodiment, the login name and the password may be associated with a group of users. The method 200 then proceeds to block 204 where the boot client 104 receives the login name and the password from the user 110. The user 110 may enter the login name and the password by using one of the input devices 122 (e.g., the keyboard).

The method 200 then proceeds to block 206 where the boot client 104 sends authentication information to the network services 108. The authentication information includes the login name and the password received from the user 110, and may further include other information such as information about the boot client 104 or further information about the user 110. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may send the authentication information directly to the directory server 160 of the network services 108. In an embodiment, the sending of the authentication information is initiated by the processor 120, which may be executing instructions from the BIOS device 128.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 208 where the network services 108 receive the authentication information from the boot client 104. The method 200 then proceeds to decision block 210 where the network services 108 determine whether the authentication information is associated with a valid user, such as the user 110. In an embodiment, the determination is made by the directory server 160, which may use the authorization information, described above, to determine whether the authentication information is associated with a valid user. In an embodiment, the network services 108 may authenticate the user using Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP). In an embodiment, the network services 108 may further determine whether the authentication information is associated with a valid boot client such as boot client 104. If at decision block 210 the network services 108 determine that the authentication information is not associated with a valid user, the method 200 proceeds to block 211 where the network services 108 return a failure authentication status to the boot client 104. The failure authentication status may include a message indicating that the authentication information is invalid. The method 200 then returns to block 202 where the boot client 104 prompts the user 110 for a login name and a password.

If at decision block 210 the network services 108 determine that the authentication information is associated with a valid user, the method 200 then proceeds to block 212 where the network services 108 send boot server information to the boot client 104. The boot server information includes information about the boot server 106 such as, for example, an IP address, a port number, a host name, and/or a communication protocol. In an embodiment, the network services 108 may further send boot image information, described below, to the boot client 104. The boot server information may be associated with the user 110. For example, the user 110 may be authorized to access the boot server 106, and thus the boot server information may include information relating to the boot server 106. In an embodiment, some or all of the boot server information may be sent by the directory server 160 and/or the iSNS server 162 of the network services 108. In an embodiment, the network services 108 may assign a SAN identifier, such as an iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN), to the boot client 104, and may send the SAN identifier to the boot client 104 in order to allow the boot client 104 to access the SAN.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 214 where the boot client 104 receives the boot server information from the network services 108. The method 200 then proceeds to block 216 where the boot client 104 sends the authentication information to the boot server 106. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may also send the SAN identifier of the boot client 104 to the boot server 106. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may further send part or all of the boot image information, such as, for example, information relating to one of the boot images 148, 150, and 152, to the boot server 106.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 218 where the boot server 106 receives the authentication information from the boot client 104. The method 200 then proceeds to block 220 where the boot server 106 sends the authentication information to the network services 108. In an embodiment, the boot server 106 may further send the SAN identifier of the boot client 104 and/or all or part of the boot image information to the network services 108. In an embodiment, the boot server 106 may send the authentication information to the directory server 160 of the network services 108.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 222 where the network services 108 receive the authentication information from the boot server 106. The method 200 then proceeds to decision block 224 where the network services 108 determine whether the user 110 associated with the authentication information is authorized to access the boot server 106. In an embodiment, the network services 108 may additionally use the SAN identifier of the boot client 104, the boot server information, and/or the boot image information to determine whether authorization is granted. In an embodiment, the determination may be made by the directory server 160 of the network services 108.

If at decision block 224 the network services 108 determine that the user 110 associated with the authentication information is not authorized to access the boot server 106, the method 200 proceeds to block 225 where the network services 108 send a failure authentication status to the boot server 106. The method 200 then proceeds to block 226 where the boot server 106 sends the failed authentication status to the boot client 104. The method then returns to block 202 where the boot client 104 prompts the user 110 for a login name and a password.

If at decision block 224 the network services 108 determine that the user 110 associated with the authentication information is authorized to access the boot server 106, the method 200 proceeds to block 227 where the network services 108 send boot image information and a success authentication status to the boot server 106. The boot image information includes information about a selected boot image such as, for example, a Logical Unit Number (LUN), an image type, an image name, an image path, and/or a identification number. The selected boot image may be selected by the network services 108 from one of the boot images 148, 150, and 152. The selected boot image may be selected by the network services 108 from the boot images 148, 150, and 152 using one or more selection policies including the provision of an unmodified boot image (i.e., a boot image that hasn't been modified by the user 110), a modified boot image (i.e., a boot image that has been modified by the user 110), a shared boot image (i.e., a boot image used by more than one user), and a dedicated boot image (i.e., a boot image used only by the user 110). It should be understood that a variety of other selection policies may be used. In an embodiment, a combination of selection policies may be used. For example, a shared and unmodified boot image may be used. In an embodiment, the selection policies may be assigned to the user 110 by a system administrator and/or by the user 110. The success authentication status may include a message indicating that the authentication information is valid.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 228 where the boot server 106 receives the boot image information and the success authentication status from the network services 108. The method 200 then proceeds to block 229 where the boot server 106 sends the success authentication status to the boot client 104. The method 200 then proceeds to block 230 where the boot client 104 is logged into the boot server 106. In an embodiment, the boot server 106 may make the selected boot image available by assigning the LUN of the boot image information to the selected boot image. In an alternative embodiment, the boot server 106 may specify the LUN, or may use a default LUN value such as, for example, zero.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 234 where the boot client 104 discovers the selected boot image on the boot server 106. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may use some or all of the boot image information to discover the selected boot image. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may mount the selected boot image. In an embodiment, the selected boot image may appear to the boot client 104 to be located on a local disk. In an alternative embodiment, the selected boot image may appear to the boot client 104 to be located on a remote disk. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may transfer some or all of the contents of the selected boot image to the memory device 126.

The method 200 then proceeds to block 236 where the boot client 104 executes instructions on the selected boot image. The instructions include OS instructions, and may further include initialization instructions. The instructions may be executed by the processor 120 of the boot client 104 to initialize, load, and run the OS on the boot client 104. In an embodiment, the boot client 104 may further access data on the selected boot image. The method 200 then ends at block 242.

Thus, embodiments are provided for enabling a boot image to be provisioned to an authenticated user of the boot client. The boot image is provisioned based on an identity of the user. The user may be provisioned a dedicated boot image or an image that is shared with other users.

Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein. 

1. A method comprising: receiving, by a network services information handling system (IHS) from a client IHS over a network, authentication information that is associated with a user; sending, by the network services IHS to the client IHS over the network in response to authenticating the user using the authentication information received from the client IHS, boot server information; receiving, by a boot server IHS from the client IHS over the network, the authentication information in response to the client IHS receiving the boot server information; receiving, by the network services IHS from the boot server IHS over the network, the authentication information in response to the boot server IHS receiving the authentication information from the client IHS; sending, by the network services IHS to the boot server IHS over the network in response to authenticating the user using the authentication information received from the boot server IHS, boot image information that is associated with a boot image that is based on an identity of the user; and providing, by the boot server IHS to the client IHS over the network, the boot image.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending, by the network services IHS to the boot server IHS over the network in response to authenticating the user using the authentication information received from the boot server IHS, further comprises sending a success authentication status, and wherein the method further comprises: logging the client IHS into the boot server IHS.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the boot image information includes a logical unit number (LUN).
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network services IHS include a directory server and an Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) server.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the client IHS includes an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) initiator.
 6. A method comprising: sending, by a client IHS to a network services IHS over a network, authentication information from a user; receiving, by the client IHS from the network services IHS over the network in response to the network services IHS authenticating the user using the authentication information, boot server information; sending, by the client IHS over the network to a boot server IHS, the authentication information in response to the client IHS receiving the boot server information, wherein in response to receiving the authentication information from the client IHS, the boot server IHS sends the authentication information to the network services IHS and receives boot image information that is associated with a boot image that is based on an identity of the user in response to the network services IHS authenticating the user using the authentication information received from the boot server IHS; receiving, by the client IHS from the boot server IHS, a success authentication status; logging in to the boot server IHS by the client IHS over the network in response to receiving the success authentication status; and executing instructions, by the client IHS, from the boot image made available over the network by the boot server IHS.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the authentication information includes a login name and a password.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the login name and the password are associated with the user.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the boot image information is based on a policy.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the policy includes providing one of an unmodified boot image and a modified boot image.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the policy includes providing one of a shared boot image and a dedicated boot image.
 12. The method of claim 6, wherein the boot image information includes a Logical Unit Number (LUN).
 13. The method of claim 6, wherein the authenticating the authentication information includes a Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP).
 14. The method of claim 6, wherein the boot server IHS includes an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) boot target and the boot server information includes iSCSI boot target information about an iSCSI boot target.
 15. A client information handling system (IHS), comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory includes computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: send, by the client IHS to a network services IHS over a network, authentication information from a user; receive, by the client IHS from the network services IHS over the network in response to the network services IHS authenticating the user using the authentication information, boot server information; send, by the client IHS over the network to a boot server IHS, the authentication information in response to the client IHS receiving the boot server information, wherein in response to receiving the authentication information from the client IHS, the boot server IHS sends the authentication information to the network services IHS and receives boot image information that is associated with a boot image that is based on an identity of the user in response to the network services IHS authenticating the user using the authentication information received from the boot server IHS; receive, by the client IHS from the boot server IHS, a success authentication status; log in to the boot server IHS by the client IHS over the network in response to receiving the success authentication status; and execute instructions, by the client IHS, from the boot image made available over the network by the boot server IHS.
 16. The client IHS of claim 15, wherein the authentication information includes a log-in name of the user and a password of the user.
 17. The client IHS of claim 15, wherein the boot server IHS includes an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) boot target, and wherein the boot server information includes iSCSI boot target information.
 18. The client IHS of claim 15, wherein the memory further includes computer-readable instructions to receive a Storage Area Network (SAN) identifier. 